Tea Kettles

Which? magazine is a U.K.-based contemporary of Consumer Reports, and its testing of tea kettles is the most thorough we found: More than 120 kettles are examined for boiling time, noise, ease of use, ease… of cleaning, extra features and filter function. More than half of the brands are sold in the U.S., including several of the top-rated models: Russell Hobbs, Magimix, DeLonghi Argento, Currys and Morphy Richards. This report also offers extensive information on kettle features, buying tips and how to make a perfect cup of tea.

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At the Los Angeles Times, Cindy Dorn and Laurie Winer test nine tea kettles on several factors: time to boil, design, workmanship and value. Of the five electric kettles, the best is the Chef's Choice… International Deluxe Cordless Electric 685, which boils water quickly and is well-designed. Of the four stovetop kettles, the best is the Oxo Uplift Tea Kettle, which is ergonomically friendly and "built to last." To settle the electric versus stovetop debate, Dorn and Winer test these winners against each other. Although one prefers electric and the other prefers stovetop, they calculate scores in each category to determine the overall winner. Chef's Choice beats the Oxo by four points. All of the kettles tested receive a brief summary of their pros and cons.

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This article names its favorite kettles but offers an in-depth review for just one of them -- the UtiliTea Variable Temperature Tea Kettle. The UtiliTea is the favorite here because it boasts a variable… heat setting, which lets green tea fans heat water to a lower temperature. Bodum's Ibis is the favorite electric for its ability to boil seven cups of water in less than five minutes. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

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Cooking.com sells about 75 different tea kettles, tea presses and hot water dispensers. Many receive dozens of ratings and/or reviews that provide helpful insights into the day-to-day use of the kettles.… The KitchenAid stovetop kettle receives the most reviews. Owners are generally happy with this kettle, though several say the spout drips water and the handle becomes hot. The Oxo Uplift stovetop kettle also receives good reviews, but a few owners say it is heavier than other kettles, and there are reports of defective units. The top-rated electric kettles are from Chef's Choice, Bodum and Krups. The Chef's Choice 677 electric kettle receives top marks for heating water quickly. Owners also appreciate the automatic shut-off. The Bodum Ibis electric kettle also heats water quickly, but there are quite a few reports of defective units. The Krups electric kettle is praised by most owners, but a few find the positioning of the spout lever to be awkward.

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This article from Real Simple, reprinted on the CNN website, discusses tea essentials: types of tea, brewing techniques and accoutrements such as cups, strainers and infusers. It also briefly discusses the… best tea kettles, providing picks for stovetop and electric models. The Oxo Uplift Tea Kettle, the stovetop choice, is praised for a handle that stays cool, a spout cover that lifts up when the tea is poured (which avoids scalded knuckles), a whistle that goes from soft to loud and a wide top that is easy to clean. The Krups Electric Cordless Kettle, the electric choice, provides "a tasty brew," has automatic shutoff after boiling and a window that shows the water level. The problem with this review is that we're not told which tea kettles didn't make the cut.

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In this very brief review, Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan inducts the Windsor Quick Boil Teakettle into the kettle hall of fame. The Windsor Quick Boil Tea kettle is a stovetop kettle with a coil ridge along the… bottom to heat water more quickly than other stovetop kettles; he says this feature does work. He also praises the kettle's "simple, clean, metal body and wood handle," and he likes that it holds two quarts of water.

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